A talented athlete, he rushed for 1,762 yards and 13 touchdowns, and also caught 10 passes for 177 yards, including three touchdowns. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Lindsay also had 98 tackles at linebacker.

“I’m sure glad he’s on my team,” Tony Lindsay said recently. “Someone asked me, ‘So what it is that makes him different than everybody else?’ Perfect answer was he rushed for 1,700 yards, and he had 98 tackles. Who else does that? Really think about that. You may have someone that plays both ways, and they do some stuff — he made all-league both ways.”

But while “Everybody wants him on defense,” Tony Lindsay said, the younger Lindsay didn’t want to be recruited as a linebacker — or anywhere on defense, for that matter.

“He goes, ‘Uncle, don’t put my defensive stuff on (his highlight tape), because I’m a running back and I want to be a running back in college,’ ” Tony Lindsay said. “When he hits people, he demolishes them. He has a couple that he’s flipped. He hits you so hard. I had to tell (recruiters), ‘If you come in here talking defense, he’s not going to go for it.’ ”

Tony Lindsay says that his nephew “could go play at CU now.”

“This year, he should have a lot of fun. You know what I’m saying? You know when a kid’s ready?” Tony Lindsay said. “This year, he should have a lot of fun. Then, with (an improved offensive line), he’s going to have a heyday for real.”

Here are a few comments from Phillip Lindsay on his commitment, and his focus on academics:

On committing to CU: “CU was the first to really look at me and really show me love — although there were a lot of other schools that came in — but what drew me there is it’s close to home. I talked it over with my family, and we all liked the decision, especially my mother. She has a muscle disease, so she can’t go out traveling all around to watch me play. So if I go up to CU, it’s an hour drive up there, so she can come see me, bring me some cookies and everything else (smiles).”

On wanting to stay at running back in college: “That’s my — I love running back. I grew up around that my whole life. I’ve been training to be a running back, that’s what I want to do. I want to go up to CU and be a running back, so that’s what I’m going to go up and do.”

On the priority Denver South puts on grades: “It’s a big thing around here. We battle for each other for grades. My best friend, Pete Williams, he’s going to make his decision soon, he’s always on the honor roll. … So this year, I’ve got to make it. I was one point away from it, it irritates me. So I got to get it. I’ve got to get that down.

“You can’t do anything without everybody on the field. But it starts in school. If people aren’t getting their grades in school, then we can’t have a team out on the field because they’ll be sitting there watching us. Them getting their grades and participating in school, it makes it a better program on the field and off the field.”

Neil Devlin, originally from the Philadelphia area, has covered high school sports in Colorado for more than 30 years, writing about the people, athletes and events that encompass the Rocky Mountain prep sports world.